Do the fires in Australia have a jihadi connection?

We finally got some rain here in Oklahoma. YAY for rain! I'm as happy as a puppy dog with two tails today. And then I read the news,as you might imagine I feel a certain empathy towards the people in Australia who are being affected by the wildfires. I read this story earlier this morning

WHITTLESEA, Australia – Police declared incinerated towns crime scenes Monday, and the prime minister spoke of "mass murder" after investigators said arsonists may have set some of Australia's worst wildfires in history. The death toll rose to 166.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090209/ap_on_re_au_an/as_australia_wildfires

As if that weren't horrifying enough, I have this article for you to consider, although I find it very interesting that it isn't showing up on any of the MSM outlets. Maybe if we have enough people to start asking questions about this article, it will get some air time...or maybe not...

"US intelligence channels earlier this year identified a website calling on Muslims in Australia, the US, Europe and Russia to "start forest fires", claiming "scholars have justified chopping down and burning the infidels' forests when they do the same to our lands".

The website, posted by a group called the Al-Ikhlas Islamic Network, argues in Arabic that lighting fires is an effective form of terrorism justified in Islamic law under the "eye for an eye" doctrine. The posting — which instructs jihadis to remember "forest jihad" in summer months — says fires cause economic damage and pollution, tie up security agencies and can take months to extinguish so that "this terror will haunt them for an extended period of time"."

Imagine if, after all the losses caused by such an event, a jihadist organisation were to claim responsibility for the forest fires," the website says. "You can hardly begin to imagine the level of fear that would take hold of people in the United States, in Europe, in Russia and in Australia."

http://www.theage.com.au/national/islam-group-urges-forest-fire-jihad-20080906-4b53.html?page=-1

h/t Infidel Blogger's Alliance http://ibloga.blogspot.com/

Now, here is a fair warning to any crazy arson inspired jihadis out there. Better think twice. Out in this neck of the woods, first of all, you are gonna stick out like a sore thumb. People out here will notice you. They aren't all into the "multiculturalism touchy feely stuff" that you all have used to exploit a fundamental weakness of democratic societies. Second, if you decide to ignore the first warning, you better pray the authorities catch you first.

Trust me, waterboarding will sound like a vacation and you will be begging for Gitmo if you are caught out here setting wildfires. I thought it only fair to give you a warning, since you all have been warning America and the world for years now of your intent. You see, out here, people don't care if the UN thinks they are mean or whatever...they will do what they need to do to protect their families and businesses. I'm not making threats by any means, I'm just trying to be fair. :)

Funhouse mirrors

Remember going to a fair and going into one of those houses with all the funky mirrors that twisted and warped your image? Thats kind of where I feel like I am these days. Everything seems to have a double meaning or is twisted into a gnarled caricature of its true self. Never in my life did I ever think I would have to worry that a jet airplane would be used as a weapon for terrorists. But, it happened. Never before did I think it was possible to elect the least qualified person in the primaries as president, but it happened. It's just bizarre crap like that that has made me feel so off balance and as though I've stepped into the middle of a Twilight Zone episode.
I'm passing along a bit from a blog in Australia. I never read this one, but I got a heads up from a friend of mine. Where will freedom of speech be in the next 5 years? Will that be one of those things that one day we will whisper about in hushed tones? I really hope not, but I fear it will be so.
Mirror Mirror on the wall...

...and then there's this from The Midnight Sun
http://www.themidnightsun.org/?p=3625

Today The Australian newspaper published an article entitled ‘Raiding powers for human rights body’ which discusses the increased powers of the Victorian law enforcement agencies to come into your home and seize your belongings as ‘evidence’ and arrest you if they conclude you are guilty of what they term discriminatory speech. As I read both the article and the comments by the excellent Janet Albrechtsen on the threat to our liberties, I decided to jot down some thoughts of my own:

As the day has worn on, I’ve finally come to a decision on what I need to do: I’ve decided to delete all of my previous posts and those of my co-contributors, which I’ve just done. MK’s posts may still be read over at his own blog, MK’s views (linked on our blogroll). It was tough as these posts represent hours and hours of research and much heartfelt commentary. But I believe that our time for blogging is coming to an end in the near future and for reasons that I won’t go into here, for me personally, it’s time to get out.